Reflection

Even though I adore flowers and horticulture, this was both the first time that I have ever grown a bulb on my own and the first time i have ever force grown a plant. I am amazed that a plant grow without the nutrients of soil, but the bulb holds plenty of nutrients. I am glad that I learned how to grow a bulb indoors, but it was not without difficulty that I learned. The first bulb was placed in a jar of stones, but I filled the water all the way to the top of the stones after the plant had begun to grow. The plant tied because the bulb itself was too saturated with water. It was very frustrating. When i prepared my second bulb, I was very careful to only let the water line reach three quarters of the way to the top. This plant grew slowly but it survived! I am excited to grow flowers this way in the future and have learned what to do and what not to do.

Illustration

Tropisms

Phototropism is the effect of light upon plant shoots. Plant shoots are likely to grow towards light and prosper but root growth and prosperity will be minimal. This would not occur without the hormone auxin. Stems are likely to bend and manuever towards a source of light.

Gravitropism is the effect that gravity has on a plant. The roots are expected to prosper and grow plentifully while the shoots do not.

Gravitropism is present in this photograph of he bulb because the shoot growth was and remained minimal for a number of days, but the roots never appeared to suffer from a shortage of growth.

Gibberellin

Gibberellins are present in apical bud and root meristems, in embryo, and in young leaves. Gibberellin stimulates stem elongation, but it can develop seedless fruits and delay senescence in leaves.
Gibberellin was likely responsible for the prosperous shoot growth from zero to about fifteen centimeters.

Abscisic Acid

Abscisic acid is typically found near leaves, stem, and unripe fruit. It closes the plant's stomata and induces seeds for synthesizing storage of proteins. it also inhibits shoot growth, which could be responsible for the 13 day delay in prosperous shoot growth.

Ethylene

Ethylene is present in the tissues of ripening fruits, in the nodes of stems, and in senescent leaves and flowers. It leads to the release of the dormancy state and stimulates root and shoot growth as well as differentiation. Ethylene opens up flowers and ripens fruit, and it is responsible for leaf and fruit abscission.
Ethylene caused the bulb to awaken from its dormant state and similarly stimulated shoot and root growth.

Cytokinin

Cytokinin is synthesized in roots and the xylem and phloem carry it through the cell. It stimulates cell division, meaning it stimulates growth from a meristem where mitosis occurs, especially at lateral buds. It also stimulates shoot initiation. Cytokinin causes leaf cell enlargement that stimulate leaf expansion and sometimes enhance the opening of the stomata. Lastly, it converts ethioplasts to chloroplasts during chlorophyll synthesis.
Cytokinin has extended the leaf growth of the bulb and has assisted in chlorophyll synthesis. Also, Cytokinin has stimulated lateral bud growth.